Posted Tue Oct 22 21:28:01 EAT 2013

Alarm raised as 250 elephants killed this year

By JONATHAN MANYINDO

In Summary

Elephants and rhinos are at risk of becoming extinct in the next five years if the current rate of poaching is not arrested.

This is after it emerged that more than 250 elephants were killed by poachers this year alone.

Though there were few arrests made, the dealers were still at large and engaging more suppliers daily.

The Kenya Wildlife Service deputy director in charge of devolution and community services, Mr Benjamin Kavu, said his organisation was unable to contain the problem on its own.

Integrated efforts

He said that what was needed were integrated efforts involving communities to protect the threatened national heritage.

Speaking at the Lumo Wildlife Sanctuary in Mwatate during the closing of this year’s series of the Eye Go Game Spotting, Mr Kavu said it was time wildlife conservation was included in the school syllabus for everyone to understand what it means to have elephants and rhinos alive in the country.